Top 30 Attack on Titan Moments
Top 10 Attack on Titan Moments
Top 10 Heartbreaking Attack on Titan Moments
Freelancer Notes: #25 and #13 are being saved for the final episodes (airing late november). Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most heartbreaking, action-packed, or plain iconic scenes from this battle shonen. Obviously, there will be spoilers from the entire series.
#30: Levi vs. Female Titan
Ah yes, just when we were starting to learn what an absolute unit Captain Levi is. After Eren gets himself soundly defeated and swallowed by the Female Titan, it falls to Levi to once again leap into the fray and save him – which he accomplishes in style. Despite the Titan Shifter’s reach and flexibility, Levi is in a whole other league, tearing through her flesh before stabbing her in both eyes at once. As if he would let anyone other than himself chew out Eren.
#29: Beast & Armored Titan vs Mid-East Alliance
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The Final Season certainly started off with a bang, we just didn’t expect to see the Marleyans bringing the boom. Four years after their failed attempt to secure the Founding Titan, Reiner and Zeke are left to deal with the consequences when Marley’s surrounding nations decide to take a shot at challenging the power of the Titans. Their upgraded artillery certainly proves effective, but there’s only so much you can do when the Beast and Armored Titan come crashing down from above, along with a legion of Pure Titans to serve as fodder. This is how Marley handles warfare, and it is brutal.
#28: Levi Beats the Crap Out of Eren
Seeing a member of the Survey Corp suddenly transform into a Titan is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Despite sealing up Trost, Eren is put on trial, with the Military Police gung-ho about executing him. Thankfully, Levi steps in with the proposal of moving Eren into his custody where the Survey Corp can keep a close eye on his Titan abilities. But not before giving a practical demonstration that they can keep him under control…by beating in his face for a whole lot of minutes! Painful yet effective.
#27: Ymir’s Transformation
Sassy and sarcastic with the hots for Christa, that’s all we knew about Ymir from the first season. Then she revealed that beneath all that snark, there was so much more. After their castle stronghold comes under attack from a horde commanded by the Beast Titan, the ill-prepared corp have no way out…at least until Ymir leaps into the fray and turns into a Titan herself. It was so out of the blue, so unexpected, that it took everyone for a loop, showing that there was way more to this firecracker that we first thought.
#26: Eren vs. Female Titan: Round Two
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It’s the rematch we were all waiting for. With Annie’s identity as the Female Titan revealed, Eren goes on the warpath, leading to the two duking it behind the walls, and pretty much smashing apart anyone unfortunate enough to get caught under them. In spite of her hardening ability allowing her to cut through his defences, Annie’s survival instinct has got nothing on Eren’s rage. Losing himself to the monster within, all Annie can do is reassess her life choices as she comes within inches of being consumed by the jaws of death. Oh, and there are Titans inside the walls. Go figure
#25: Saving Armin
The final battle with the founding titan was never going to be easy, but it seemed to go far worse than any could have imagined. First, Armin was captured. Then all the past titan incarnations manifested and relentlessly attacked our heroes. Just when it seemed absolutely hopeless, Armin had an important conversation with Zeke on the other side. It was by his will that he was able to pass a message to lots of old faces - leading to their titan forms to rebel against their master. With this assist, they were finally able to free Armin once again - giving them another faint glimmer of hope to stop Eren.
#24: The End of Levi’s Squad
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The Special Operations Squad may not have had much time to develop compared to the likes of Mikasa, Jean and the rest, but they were still an endearing group, especially when it came to Petra. Fiercely loyal to the likes of Levi, they were some of the best the Survey Corp had to offer. And we got to watch the Female Titan tear them apart one by one. In spite of their top tier skills, the Female Titan’s strategy and killer instinct proved to be their undoing, each meeting a tragic end that probably still keeps Eren up at night.
#23: Levi vs. Kenny’s Squad
Ironically, one of the best fights in “Attack on Titan” doesn’t actually involve any Titans. This deep in the walls, it’s just Levi, a decade-old grudge, and a whole lot of glorious, ODM action. Levi doesn’t let Kenny take Eren and Historia without a fight, that’s for sure. The sheer sense of speed and momentum conveyed in every single one of his moves is truly a sight to behold. Especially considering he maneuvered his way through all of Kenny’s squad with only a few scratches to show for it. Even though Levi failed to rescue Eren and Historia, this aerobic counterattack is a winner in every other way that counts.
#22: Mike's Death
There have been plenty of unsettling and visceral deaths across this series, though none have come close to matching the horror of Mike’s demise. With a nose for trouble, this veteran member of the Survey Corp appeared to be the kind of soldier that could cut his way through any predicament. And that might still be true…if he were dealing with the average Titan. Alas, he tangled with the Beast Titan, who promptly disabled his manoeuvre gear before feeding him to his underlings. All in graphic detail. His screams still haunt us.
#21: Eren vs. Female Titan: Round One
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Given how he had just watched his new allies get splattered across the forest floor, it’s easy to see why Eren might have lost his temper and thrown himself into a brawl with the Female Titan. Enraged, the Rogue Titan goes all out…only to be swiftly defeated by his opponent’s superior dexterity and utilisation of its Titan abilities. Concluding with a gnarly decapitation. It’s one of Eren’s soundest defeats, and the battle that showed this gigantic femme fatale was not to be messed with.
#20: The Ocean
Top 20 Attack on Titan Moments
An uncharacteristically serene way to cap off the third season, like all things Attack on Titan there is both beauty and darkness in abundance here. Armin’s reaction to finally seeing the ocean with his own eyes resonates deeply. It’s such a heart-warming moment as these embittered soldiers get to experience this natural wonder for themselves. At least until we see Eren, who since finding out the truth about Marley and his father, can only focus on what’s on the horizon – a whole bunch of people they have to kill in order to achieve true freedom.
#19: Erwin Charges into Battle
Genius tactician, uncompromising leader, demon atop a mountain of corpses, Erwin Smith was all these things, and it's fair to say without him everyone behind the walls would have been killed off long ago. The only thing more impressive than his list of deeds is his death, which stands tall as equally heart-breaking and awe-inspiring. Faced with the Beast Titan’s non-stop barrage of projectiles, Erwin musters his terrified troops for a suicide charge that ultimately claims their lives…but not before he delivers one hell of a speech!
#18: Historia Rejects Her Father
How is it possible for someone to go from background character to best girl in a single episode? Well, if you’re Historia, you reject your father’s maniacal plan to keep the status quo, destroy the Titan Serum, damn well near break his back, and just to top it tells Eren to man the hell up. It’s all kinds of amazing, and a standout moment of character growth that would take Historia all the way from the resident nice girl all the way to the Queen that humanity desperately needed.
#17: Breaking the Walls
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This is where it all started. With the looming, inhuman face of the Colossal Titan as it sent countless innocents to their doom. Shattering years of supposed peace with a single strike of its knee, the skinless giant paved the way for the dozens of Titans to just waltz on in and start devouring their way through Eren’s hometown. Of course, this was a two-man operation, since the inner wall was also broken down thanks to the Armored Titan and that unbreakable shoulder charge of his.
#16: Eren Gets Eaten
So much for all that spunk. Eager for combat and vengeance, Eren wastes no time leaping into the action during his first combat encounter. While motivated and possessing a decent amount of skill following his graduation, things don’t go according to plan when a random Titan snaps his leg off and sends him into a tailspin. His sheer force of willpower might have been enough to save Armin from meeting the same fate, but in his wounded state, Eren was essentially Titan chow. While him emerging unscathed from his transformed state is also worthy of note we still feel this has more punch. Or bite.
#15: Assault on the Yeagerists
Former friends or not, Eren’s band of radical recruits stood between the resistance and stopping the Rumbling. Comparing their lives to everyone’s on Marley and beyond, the choice was already made. But, that didn’t make it easy. Even in a show with plenty of grisly character deaths, it’s still sobering to see Mikasa, Jean, and the others turn their blades against old friends. Although, that’s slightly mitigated by how epic it is to finally see Annie and Reiner join the front lines in all their titanic glory. Whether for the bloodshed or the backstabs, this is certainly a showdown to remember.
#14: Armin or Erwin?
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Who do you choose? The one humanity needs or the one it deserves? With both hanging on death’s door and only one sample of Titan Serum, Levi is forced to make a crucial decision about who to save. It’s a moral dilemma that forces the corp and the audience to pick a side – head or heart, hopeful or pragmatic. Despite settling on Erwin as the candidate, the dying words of his friend give Levi cause to change his mind – ensuring that Armin lives to see another day, now with the power of the Colossal Titan at his disposal
#13: Eren is Stopped
With all other options out the window, Armin throws hands with Eren whilst all the others hold back the Source of all living matter so that it can’t merge with Eren once again. There’s only one person who can finish the job. If there’s one thing Mikasa never wanted, it was for Eren to perish. Unfortunately for her, that’s what it had to come to and it was by her hand. With an assist from Levi, she finally finds herself face-to-face with the person she loves most. It was then that she had to deliver the sweet kiss of death…
#12: Lifting the Boulder
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Moments of triumph are certainly few and far-between in this show, so any time Eren and the rest emerge victorious against impossible odds is always something to celebrate. Despite initially losing himself to his Titan form, a few choice words from Armin bring Eren back to his senses, allowing him to complete his mission of sealing up Trost. The swelling of the music combined with the chants from his friends really add a gravitas to it all, topped off with the Attack Titan’s iconic roar.
#11: Give Your Heart, Hange
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If there’s such a thing as a happy march to death, it’s this. With the Rumbling fast approaching, Hange gives her team a necessary head-start by single handedly slowing down the army of Colossals. It means swinging towards certain death, but Hange doesn’t seem to mind. This is essentially the culmination of her life’s research, and she’s enjoying every single second of it. Quite frankly, we can’t think of a better way for her to go out. Afterwards, Hange’s welcomed to the afterlife by a council of her fallen allies, proving that she really did give her heart until the very end.
#10: Sasha’s End
In “Attack on Titan,” heart-wrenching character deaths come with the territory. But, it’s one thing to lose a soldier in action, and another to say goodbye to the potato-thieving heart of the Survey Corp, Sasha. If anyone deserved a happy ending - or at least a last meal - it was her. The most painful part is how utterly anticlimactic it feels. Sasha didn’t get a grand, last act on the battlefield. In fact, she wasn't even in combat at all. The attack on Marley was over. But, that didn’t stop Gabi from sneaking aboard their ship, and shooting Sasha dead just like that. And she calls these guys devils.
#9: Levi vs Beast Titan
The purest example of Levi’s badassery can all be found right here. Following on from the Survey Corp’s suicide charge, humanity’s strongest soldier makes his move, getting in close enough so that he can finally tear into Zeke. While the hairy bastard certainly has size on his side, he’s in no way prepared for Levi’s speed and ferocity, wherein he proceeds to slice the big ape apart until the scumbag inside is ripped out, where he too experiences Levi’s special brand of Eren training.
#8: The Scream
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While hindsight would bring a whole new dimension of hype to this scene, even self-contained it’s still a vital moment that brings one of Eren’s many torturous arcs full circle, and that’s revenge against the Titan that ate his mother. After the Smiling Titan kills Hannes in a traumatically similar fashion to Carla Jaeger, all Eren can do is let out the biggest scream of his life. Unknowingly activating the Coordinate within, the surrounding Titans bend to Eren’s will rip the smile right off its face. Poor Dina.
#7: The Rumbling Begins
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Eren spent years trying to activate the Rumbling, and when he finally got his wish, it did not disappoint. On a conceptual level, the scale of a hundred Colossal Titans waking up is hard to put into words. Luckily, the destruction they leave in their wake speaks for itself. At this point, all anyone can do is watch, wait, and pray. After all, it doesn’t take Armin’s brains to realize that, with firepower like this, Eren can trample just about anything he wants. With that realization, it’s clear that the Rumbling isn’t just a threat to humanity. It’s the end of the world as we know it.
#6: Historia Lands the Killshot
Continuing the trend of Historia being the best, the way in which she puts to rest not only her father, but the legacy of the First King was just monumental. As Rod Reiss’ Titan form is blown to pieces thanks to Eren ramming a whole bunch of explosives into it’s gaping face-hole, Historia is the one to slice apart the remains of its nape, killing the Reiss patriarch once and for all, and ushering in a new age for those behind the walls. And that’s how you become both a hero and a monarch all in one day!
#5: The Truth of Grisha’s Past
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Years ago, Eren’s father massacred the Reiss family to secure the power of the Titans. Or, so we thought. No one could have predicted what really happened that night. When Grisha’s conviction started to waver, Eren manipulated time itself to urge his father down this gory path. Just like that, the entirety of “Attack on Titan” turned on its head. This revelation proved that, while Grisha did kill the Reiss family, their blood was on Eren’s hands. He wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way; not Grisha’s morals, not the death of the Reiss children, and not even the fabric of time itself.
#4: Reiner & Bertholdt Revealed
The betrayal that has yet to be surpassed. The way in which Reiner, in a moment of madness, revealed that he and Bertholdt are the Armored and Colossal Titans was a low-key bombshell. From there, all bets are off, as the traitor soldiers go all out in an effort to capture Eren. The emotional devastation of witnessing the two most trusted members of the unit be ousted as the instigators of their shared tragedy is only matched by the proceeding heavyweight Titan showdown. As you can imagine, Eren was not a happy bunny that day.
#3: Eren vs. Warhammer Titan
After four years honing his skills, Eren put up his dukes again for some explosive, titan-on-titan action. There’s a pretty big catch, though. In this case, the War Hammer Titan wasn’t the only thing in the line of fire. While this is easily one of the coolest throwdowns in the series, it’s hard to appreciate it when Eren’s tearing through innocent civilians at the same time. Even if they are Marleyans, his complete disregard for their lives made it clear that this wasn’t the same Eren we once knew. For the first time, we weren’t just scared for Eren. We were scared of him.
#2: Eren Defeats The Colossal Titan
Able to produce explosions of steam, larger than every Titan combined, Bertholdt’s Titan form appeared to be borderline invulnerable. With even the Thunder Spears proving useless, taking it down seemed out of the question. At least until Armin and Eren pulled off their biggest win thus far. Full credit to Armin for nearly burning death just to create an opportunity to spring a counterattack but we still can’t get over how Eren, in his human form, appears from behind and took down the behemoth with the ultimate “surprise bitch” in anime Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Coup D'état The Owl Saves Grisha The Rumbling Arrives Who Will Inherit the Attack Titan?
#1: Declaration of War
Beyond the heartbreak, bloodshed, and plot twists, the most electric scene in “Attack on Titan” is two people talking in a room. Eren and Reiner’s discussion of war and guilt is a masterful summation of the series to that point. And, also, a brilliant preface for what’s to come. In a reveal that deserves to be seen for itself, Eren confesses he doesn’t want peace anymore. He wants vengeance. Then, with one hell of a transformation, Eren officially becomes the villain he always had to be. It’s incredible, exhilarating, and most of all, ironic. Willy was totally right. Eren is a danger to world peace, and this is a declaration of war. Just not Willy’s. What’s your favorite Titan-sized moment? Let us know if we missed it in the comments below!
